Eileen Iannone, Dakota Cousino and Scott Ciolek hope to raise $5,000 through the crowdfunding website Indigogo. This money will go toward finishing renovations at the new location.

“We’d planned on reopening the shop since the Spitzer Building closed,” Iannone said. “The former manager moved and decided to pursue other things, so Dakota and I took over. It’s just taken us a long time because there were so many problems with the shop and we had limited funding. Things are on-track now, I would say.”

“I own the shop, while Eileen and Dakota operate it,” Ciolek said. “I’d say Bleak House Coffee was the greatest coffee house I know of. It almost exclusively used repurposed materials from the building to build it up, and we moved over all the equipment from the Spitzer Building to the new location on Adams Street.”

The new location will feature a larger seating area, a bigger service counter and a full-service kitchen. Plans include adding a breakfast and lunch menu, as well as specialty drinks and ice cream.

One of the biggest challenges for the team has been replacing pipes which burst over the winter, during which time management was still changing. Funding from Indigogo will be used to replace the plumbing, install electrical outlets around the bar, and add a fresh coat of paint to the walls.

“Dakota and I have put a lot of time, effort and money into this project, and we’d really like it to pay off and have the doors open soon,” Iannone said.

“We’ve been working actively every single day, whether it’s training or experimenting or remodeling. I’m really excited and looking forward to seeing all the work we’ve been doing materialize,” Cousino said.

According to Bleak House’s Indigogo page, the goal is to reinvent the shop to its highest potential with consistency being the primary focus. This vision includes displaying work by local artists, holding poetry slams, and hosting coffee tasting events.

By contributing to funding, patrons may earn such perks as barista training, free refills, event hosting, and an opportunity to name their own drink.

“We’re going to hold after-hour galleries in the shop itself. Right now we’re painting the entire shop just so it’s fresh and to offset the paintings. We’re also rebuilding our service bar and doing little things to make the shop nicer,” Cousino said.

“We hope to be a big part of the surrounding community and support local artists in Toledo,” added Iannone.

The new location will collaborate with such nationally-recognized roasters as Intelligentsia and Maddie & Bella Coffee Co.

“I think it’s unsurpassed quality. They just do it right; it’s strong and delicious and where artisan coffee needs to be,” said Cousino. “That’s something I really like about the coffee. We’re able to have a close relationship with our roaster, which isn’t something everyone can say. We’ll actually be training with Intelligentsia in Chicago for a couple weeks.”

A new product featured at the shop will be Cousino’s organic tea, which she makes and blends herself.